Tour Travel Complaints - Travel Agent Complaints

Travel Complaints

There are various modes of transportation in India be it through air, sea or land. Indian transportation, due to its immense population, is one of the most widely used in the world.

For traveling within India people generally prefer to rent a car or travel via train or bus as they deem convenient. Ola and Uber are prime examples of this. These startups have skyrocketed and are one of most used traveling apps in the India.

Meanwhile, many people prefer to travel via plane as it saves times. For this they either book the ticket through the website directly or look for agents to do the same.

Apart from big names there are some private travel agencies in Bangalore, Pune, Mumbai, Kolkata etc, which try to lure customers by offering them lucrative discounts. Travel agent frauds are quite prevalent in India. The most common travel agent/agency complaints include refund not provided, hotel denying check-in, fake promises etc.

Travel complaints have a sense of urgency and responsibility attached to them because no one wants to board a late flight or wants to stay in low-quality hotel.

We all want our travels and trips to be smooth right from the beginning. And if something does not go as per our expectations, the mood gets spoiled!

Therefore, it brings a significant responsibility on the shoulders of the travel companies to solve the issues faced by their customers. One should only book their hotels/flights via trustworthy sites to avoid getting duped. However, sometimes even these reputed travel companies commit an error.

In this article, we have covered the common travel complaints that are faced by customers and how you can resolve them.

But first lets check out the famous travel companies in India

Famous Travel Companies in India

1. Make My Trip
Make my Trip is one of the leading online travel companies in India. In 2000 it was founded by Deepak Kalra and had its headquarters in Gurugram, Haryana.

They have more than 14 company-owned travel stores in India and have over 30 franchisee-owned travel stores in India. They also have offices in Dubai, Phuket, Bangkok, New York, Kuala, and Lumpur.

2. Yatra:
Founded by Manish Amin, Sabina Chopra, and Dhruv Shringi in 2006, Yatra.com is the pre-eminent Indian online travel agency. It is based in Gurugram, Haryana. According to the sources in 2012, Yatra became the second-largest online travel service provider company in India.

3. OYO:
Oyo rooms, popularly known as Oyo hotels and rooms and stylized as OYO, is the fastest and largest growing hospitality chain in India. They worked on the franchising and leased system, which fortunately turned out to be the best for the company. Founded by Ritesh Agarwal in 2013, OYO gained much popularity right from the beginning.

4. GOIBIBO:
Subsidiary of Make My Trip Limited, Mauritius Ibibo, is a travel organization in 2006 by Ashish Kashyap. In 2013 Goibibo made it among the top five most trusted e-commerce brands in India.

5. HappyEasyGo:
Happy Easy Go is one of the emerging online travel company founded by Boris Zha in 2017. In 2019 it became the second-largest online travel booking platform in India and had more than 10 million customer bases all over the world. It has its headquarters in Gurugram, Shanghai, Chengdu, Hong Kong, and Singapore. During late 2018 HappyEasyGo established its hotel business.

6. Thomas Cook:
Thomas Cook (India) Ltd has its headquarters in Mumbai and caters to all the travel related requirements from visas to foreign exchange. They established themselves in India in 1881 and expanded its business to all the nearby countries.

7. Clear Trip:
Clear Trip earlier was known as Clear Trip Travel Services Private limited is a universal online travel company established in 2016. It has its headquarters in Dubai and Mumbai. In India, they started with a vision of making travel simple by bridging the gap between the Indian hospitality and travel sector. It was founded as an air and hotel aggregator by Stuart Crighton, Mathew Spacie, and Hrush Bhatt.

8. Travel Guru:
Travel Guru is India’s leading and growing travel website. It offers flights, holiday packages, and hotels at the best prices; they aim to make your trip smooth and convenient.

9. Travel Triangle:
Founded by three IIT graduates Sanchit Garg, Prabhat Gupta, and Sankalp Agarwal. It is India’s first fully stacked Holiday Marketplace that connects verified travel agents and travelers. It was founded in 2011 and competed with companies such as Thrillophilia. It is a platform that is trusted by many.

10. Travelocity India:
It is rated as one of the best online travel portals in the world and perfectly caters to the local needs of the people by launching specialized programs. In India, they cater to both business and leisure requirements.

Types of Travel Complaints

1. Tickets canceled, but money is not refunded:
One of the significant problems that are being faced by customers of major travel companies is that they cancel the tickets, but money is not credited to their bank account. This is the most common issue faced by almost all the consumers in cities like Pune, Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru.

During COVID-19 times, many have reported on the internet that they have booked tickets, and they got canceled due to the pandemic. However, the companies did not refund the amount. Either they are saying that they have refunded the amount, or instead, they are offering a credit voucher.

2. No refund for flights canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic:
Due to the global pandemic, suddenly, flights were canceled. It was reported by customers of many major travel companies that they did not get their refund; however, the airlines did return the full booking amount. Many customers were upset because the travel companies did not inform them about the refund from the airlines.

3. Partial refund for the flights canceled due to COVID-19:
Many customers reported that they did not receive the full amount of flights they booked pre-corona. However, airlines have refunded the entire amount, but travel companies did not credit the whole amount; instead, they deducted a certain amount without giving any valid reason.

4. No refund against booked packages:
Many planned trips in June assuming that pandemic will end, but in the wake of current times, still, the tourism industry is on hold.

As people booked packages for traveling and now are requesting for a refund, but many companies are simply denying it.
However, many customers are disturbed with it because, in these uncertain times, they are struggling so much to get their refund.

5. Unable to connect with customer care service:
Many customers from significant travel companies face this very issue when they contact the customer care, they are not entertained, or their complaints are not correctly handled.

Many faced this particular issue while they were contacting the customer care, and their complaints were not appropriately welcomed or they were not able to connect with them.

6. Fraudulent booking agents:
Many travel companies have their booking agents, but some fraudsters just dive in and cheat people.
Many customers from significant companies, including Make My Trip and Yatra complained that they had been cheated by fraudsters in the name of these companies, and they have demanded a refund from the company.

7. Rescheduling of flights due to COVID-19:
Due to Corona pandemic, many people had to reschedule their flights, but travel companies are not helping them or are not considering their request.

8. Over billing by travel companies:
The most common types of complaints regarding Ola and Uber include over billing issues and not returning the left item in the cab. But you can try contacting the customer care number of Ola which is 098842437 and customer care of Uber which is 1300091272.

How to resolve travel complaints?

1. File support ticket/send an email:
You can always contact travel companies through their official website by going to their contact us section and by sending them an email. Customer service emails of some leading travel companies are:
Yatra- support@yatra.com
Make My Trip- care@makemytrip.com
Happy Easy Go- cs@happyeasygo.com
Clear Trip- customersupport@cleartrip.com
Goibibo- travel@goibibo.com
Travel guru- service@travelguru.com

2. Call Customer support:
One of the perfect ways to directly come in contact with the travel company is by contacting it through phone call for customer support. All these well-known travel companies have a 24*7 working customer care number which helps in resolving complaints as they value customer feedback. The customer care number of some of the leading travel agencies and hospitality companies in India are :

Cox and Kings Customer Care Number - 1800 209 0400
Thomas Cook Customer Care Number - 1800 209 9100
Club Mahindra Holidays Customer Care Number - 044 6695 3435
Expedia Customer Care Number – 800-319-4834
Yatra Customer Care Number - 0124 3040500
Goibibo Customer Care Number - 1800 208 1060
Makemytrip Customer Care Number - 1800 102 8747
Travelguru Customer Care Number - +91 92111 77444
Oyo Customer Care Number - 093139 31393
RedBus Customer Care Number - 1860 121 2102

3. Report to the airlines/hotel directly:
As we have seen above, many customers have reported that the airlines and hotels have issued a refund, but the travel companies have not refunded the money in the bank accounts. It is always better to contact the airlines or hotels directly if the companies don’t issue a refund by time. You can contact the airlines and hotels by calling them on their customer care number or by sending the email.

4. Send Legal Notice:
Consumers can send legal notices to travel company in case it is unable to resolve his complaint. It is one of the efficient ways to handle the issue legally. Check below to know how to send a legal notice to travel company?

Step 1: Firstly, get a legal notice drafted by a lawyer.
Step 2: Check it properly and make sure it is signed by lawyer.
Step 3: Keep a copy of it for future purposes.
Step 4: Send the legal notice to travel company by registered post.
Step 5: Keep the slip or delivery report for evidence.

5. File consumer forum case:
Consumer forum deals with consumer complaints and you should approach consumer forum if you feel that your rights as a consumer have been violated.

If travel company is not responding to your complaints even after sending legal notice by a lawyer then you should file a case against it in a consumer court.

Here is how you can file a case in the consumer court?

Step 1: Intimate the aggrieved party via legal notice.
Step 2: Draft the consumer complaint
Step 3: Attach all the relevant documents and proofs to support your complaint.
Step 4: Select the appropriate court for filing the complaint.
Step 5: Pay the prescribed court fee that is required to be paid along with the complaint.
Step 6: Submit the case along with the affidavit & fees in the court.

If you feel uncomfortable doing all this yourself, then you should use Voxya to file a complaint against travel company. We will send Legal Notice and prepare Case for filing in consumer court. We, at Voxya, are generally receiving more than 100 travel consumer complaints every month.

Most Common Issue Reported for Travel Complaints

Money deducted, Ticket not booked

No Refund

Booking canceled

Customer care not responding

Bad hotel booked

Misbehavior by staff

Fraudulent Booking agents

Fake Club membership sold

Train canceled without knowledge

Booking dates changed

Room was not clean

Cab did not arrive on time

Cab driver canceled the trip

MMT booked room not as described (Make My Trip) ^Open

For our recent trip to Bhutan, we have booked hotels through Makemytrip. Out first stay was at PARO and we have booked an AC room through MMT. When we reached the hotel we came to know from the reception that there is no AC/FAN available at the...

Jul 04, 2019 by Prathap Gangireddy

Cancellation of membership from Club Jiva (Holiday Kraft Pvt. Ltd) ^Open

This happened in Matheran when myself along with wife visited for vacation. We have been duped by the Club Jiva Holiday Kraft Pvt Lyd- ** Level-*, Dewan Center, S.V. Road, Jogeshwari ( W) Mumbai - ******. They have forced us to sign the contrac...

Jul 04, 2019 by Shreenivas M Muttineni

MMT has charged more than the total shown in invoice of Air plane ticket (Make My Trip) ^Open

I have booked a round trip DEL-to-GOA. I am facing a problem regarding payment. I supposed to pay ***** Rs but ***** Rs has been deducted from my account (find the attachment). For a clear view check invoice_*.pdf and Bank_deduction.pdf. Pleas...

Jul 03, 2019 by Gauri sharma

Fake travel claim (Goibibio) ^Open

I booked Goibibo airport cab on **nd June at *.** pm for pickup at *.** pm from HYD airport. Received confirmation message from Goibibo that I will receive cab details by *.** pm and cab pickup at *.** pm. After landing at HYD airport I did not...

Jul 03, 2019 by Rohit R Desai

Incorrect invoicing and not resolving concern (Oyo) ^Open

I have booked a room in Warangal dated **-**-** through OYO and stayed in OYO Capital O ***** Landmark Residency. I was asked to pay the total amount of INR **** and I have paid through my credit card. The hotel did not provide GST invoice for ...

Jul 03, 2019 by Mahendrakumar S

...

Jul 03, 2019 by Rahul pargi

Fraudulent car company (Zoomcar India Pvt Ltd) ^Open

We had booked a car from Borivali. Car was out of battery and dirty. Pick up time was * am. Details were provided at *.** then were given another car at ** am from Sion approx ** km from the actual location. The car was also in bad position got...

Jul 02, 2019 by Aesha shah

No refund against cancelled international tickets (Make My Trip Pvt Ltd) ^Open

Due to Jet suspension of its operations, I had to cancel all the international tickets on April **, ****. Despite regular follow up with Make My Trip no refund has been given even after more than two months. Though refund for other customers wh...

Jul 02, 2019 by Vineet Bhalla

Uber driver did not return my phone (Uber Cabs) ^Open

I took a ride from uber on ** June **** from Salt Lake, Kolkata at *:** p.m. and reached Birla Planetarium at *:** p.m. But unfortunately, I left my Asus Zenfone Max cell phone inside the cab. After ** minutes I realised that the phone is not w...

Jul 02, 2019 by Tanay Sarkar

Cheated by MakeMyTrip (Makemytrip) ^Open

I had booked return flights to Mauritius from Bangalore via Makemytrip. Attached is the ticket. The carrier from Bangalore to Mumbai was Air Mauritius and flight from Mumbai to Mauritius and back from Mauritius to Bangalore was Air Mauritius. N...

Jul 01, 2019 by Shama

Ola doubled my ride rate and the Ola driver rated himself 5 stars by taking customer phone (Ola Cabs & Ola Money) ^Open

I booked Ola cab on ** June **** around *:** pm from Maheswari Nagar, B Narayanapura Bengaluru to Passport Office Koramangala. The cab came around *:** pm Ola Prime Play, Dzire Tour KA**AG**** and started the trip by *:** pm. The estimated cost...

Jun 30, 2019 by Kadi AG

Package cancelled by them but money not refunded (Golden Trip Pvt. Ltd.) ^Open

I have taken one package in the month of April **th and given the money *****. After one week when I have asked for what’s the status of the booking. They said your booking can’t be processed due to some reason. From then to now I am still ...

Jun 29, 2019 by Amit Dixit

Need refund from oyo (Oyo) ^Open

I had booked a room my booking id is (gzpl****). I booked this on **/**/**** at night and I have made payment also that I found the date **/**/** Sunday morning is cheeked out time **:** am but on Sunday I have to check in at same. I called the...

Jun 28, 2019 by VISHNU

Uber not refunding (Uber Cabs) ^Open

The Uber driver said he doesn't have diesel in the car and was refusing to go to the airport. As it was very urgent for me to reach to the airport and couldn't find any more rides I agreed to pay for diesel and he said you can get the refund fr...

Jun 28, 2019 by Prateek Kaien

Differential any not reimbursed (Fab Hotels) ^Open

I booked a hotel in Mysore * months in advance only to get a call from Fab just * week before my travel stating that the booking will be cancelled. The alternative property suggested was not to my satisfaction. So I spoke to the senior Mr Jatin...

Jun 27, 2019 by Kavitha Iyer

Refund for excess amount charged (Ola Cabs) ^Open

This complaint is against. OLA. With reference to the above-mentioned subject would like to draw your kind attention towards the double pricing being done for my ride last month. Initially, booked a cab through OLA App from my residence to IG...

Jun 26, 2019 by MANAS GULATI

Refund not initiated by redbus (Redbus.in) ^Open

I booked bus ticket via https://www.redbus.in/, journey date **/May/**** *:** pm. The bus got cancelled via bus operator. I had complained the same day to the bus operator but not refunded yet. Its almost * month gone. Date Of Booking : Frida...

Jun 26, 2019 by Jai prakash

Refund not given (Make My Trip) ^Open

I have booked my ticket through Make my trip vide ID NN************* from Delhi to London on ** March **** and back London to Delhi on ** April ****. Both tickets were cancelled on ** March **** and ** April **** receptively. I have contacted m...

Jun 26, 2019 by Satbir Sharma

Had pulled from my bank account by giving false information (Clear Trip) ^Open

I had booked my flight ticket from Cleartrip. My flight got cancelled so I requested a refund from Cleartrip. I was following from last ** days but Cleartrip representative was unable to give a specific answer. On **th may **** I received a ...

Jun 26, 2019 by Jaya Priya

Incorrect damage charges levied (Zoomcar India Pvt Ltd) ^Open

This is regarding booking id JPS*BVKV. We rented an Electric car E** Dash on the **th of April. The car was not in good condition in terms of cleanliness and already damages were there in the car for which as instructed we took the videos and p...

Jun 25, 2019 by Nikita Rathi